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January 18-22, 2019 Canaan Valley Resort Davis, WV Ski Family Weekend was amazing, even with temps varying by 40 degrees during the 4-day Martin Luther King weekend. It was an amazing getaway for families with a child under 18 who’s on treatment or within 3 years of treatment, as well as bereaved families. It was a non-typical camp at the beautiful Canaan Valley Resort in Davis, WV, where skied, snowboarded, tubed, and ice-skated. A few folks even found time to snowshoe around the trails of the resort. So far, 2019 has been a year for changes here at Special Love, [...]

January 4-6, 2019 HOW HOW! That’s the best praise we offer at camp and that’s what all had to say about Fantastic Winter Weekend 2019. The weekend is dedicated to current and past cancer patients between the ages of 13-25 and includes a day of adventure at Bryce Resort in Basye, VA with skiing, snowboarding, tubing and hanging out at the lodge for crafts and games. Despite a little rain (and not much snow), we made the most of the conditions and had a great time. This year’s event welcomed 15 teens and 24 young adults, one [...]

Camp Created Beautiful Memories for the Florin Family The Florin family made camp a priority and created beautiful memories together. Just one month shy of his first birthday, Peter was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer that affects only 4 in every 1,000,000 children. Despite almost constant treatment, his parents recognized the importance of setting aside time to have fun together as a family. Two months after he was first diagnosed, Peter’s father and four older siblings attended Tidewater Family Weekend while he remained at the hospital with his mother for treatment. After three days of [...]

November 17-18, 2018 Parents' Getaway 2018 was a huge success! Hosted at the Historic George Washington Hotel in Winchester, Virginia, Parents’ Getaway Weekend is dedicated to parents who have a child with cancer or are bereaved and is organized by parents whose children have also participated in Special Love’s camps and fully understand where each family is in the treatment process. This year’s weekend welcomed 66 parents, including both couples and singles, 10 of whom were new to Special Love. Attendees joined us from 9 of our local hospitals in the Virginia, DC, and [...]

Kristen Kellar-Graney, M.S., Tumor Biologist and Clinical Researcher – and Special Love Pop-Up Camp Guru! A borrowed quote: Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. As a tumor biologist, I cannot take away the fear a parent has learning that their child has cancer. But as a Special Love volunteer, I can lend an ear, a shoulder, or a hand when they need it. And I can bring snacks; I always have snacks. As a tumor biologist, I cannot guarantee that chemotherapy is going to work, or not have side-effects, or make their child terribly [...]

Help Special Love send a kid with cancer to camp. Here's what you can do... Donation How it helps $650 ...sends a child for a week $400 ...sends a family to a weekend camp $250 ...sends a child for a weekend $125 ...feeds a child for a week at camp $75 ...sponsors a child for a day at camp $25 ...sends a hug to camp For a gift of $250 or more, you receive our Special Love Camp Spirit Kit (including a camp t-shirt)! Click here to see the Camp Spirit flyer. Of course, every little [...]

Special Love's mission is to provide "support services" to children with cancer and their families. Some of those services we can provide directly -- scholarships, transportation to camp, etc -- and some, perhaps the most important, require that we get out-of-the-way and let inspirational people share who they are with people who need inspiration.

YAC weekend 2011 kicks off in Jamestown on Friday. This Fantastic weekend nurtures a community of support for young adult survivors and brings old camp friends back together again.

Last year we went to a Splashdown waterpark (clearly a big hit with the YACer at right). This year we figure we'll cut out the middle man and head straight to the ocean. Sunshine and sea air; that's what it's all about.